Fanatic For Jesus Series

to encourage you, just as Jesus would do. Why? Because, for him to

live was Christ. His life mirrored the life of Jesus, and the Spirit of

Jesus. If he died, he would do that like Jesus also, with full

assurance that he would be raised into the presence of God, and gain

reward beyond anything this life could offer. To die was gain, and

so he could live free of the fear of death, for it would only be a

promotion.

The two statements of Paul are linked so that the second is only

true because of the first. If your priority is different, so will your

prospects be different in death. If you say for example, "For me to

live is cash," then you cannot say, and to die is gain, for you loose

your cash in death. You do not benefit from it any longer. So what

fits is, for me to live is cash, and to die is pain. Death is a threat to

your meaning of life. The same is true with any other priority. For

me to live as country, and to die is pain, for you lose country in

death. For me to live is sports, and to die is pain, for you lose that

love in death. We could go on and on, for if the meaning of your life

is not something that can survive death, it is not an adequate

meaning. Paul found the only meaning in life that is eternal, and

that is why he could say, "For me to live is Christ, and to die is

gain." Death does not rob him of Christ, for it joins him to Christ

instead.

The great challenge of the Christian life is to see how all of life

can be linked to Christ, so that all your loves, interests, and desires

can be a part of the total package so you can say with Paul, "For me

to live is Christ." This ultimate meaning will give meaning to

everything tied into it. But if you say, "for me to live is_______(fill in

the blank with anything but Christ), you have a problem with

idolatry. If you put in self, you are a self-centered person, and all of

life will revolve around you, and you will not be Christlike. Hitler is

a good example of the self-centered life. He was rejected at art

school for lack of talent. But in his sickly mind he felt he was a good

artist. He painted some pictures, and took them to an art museum to

have them exhibited. The committee looked them over, and turned

him down. He felt is was a conspiracy, and he got the name of the

five member committee. He learned that three of them were Jews.

That is when he decided he would get even with the Jews, for they

were his enemies.

When he came to power he destroyed that art museum, and he

had a new one built costing millions of dollars. He was so

self-centered he had to have his way no matter what, and millions of

Jews died because some dared to stand in his way. Christ was

dethroned, and self was enthroned. Every man in history who does

this becomes an anti-Christ. Hitler filled in the most important

blank in life with a bad choice, and said, "For me to live is self." It

is a one word test to fill in the blank. If you get it wrong, you flunk

the school of life. If you get it right, you pass, and move on to a